Late Night
by CalwWalker
Summary: Inigo is disappearing every night even after he and Owain have become a couple. Owain finally becomes concerned and tries talk it out with him.
1. I sleep better with you around!

Inigo had been disappearing after nightfall again. It wasn't the first time he had done this, no not at all. The mercenary was known throughout camp for being out late, constantly flirting with strangers in the town's pubs or off getting into gods know what trouble. That was exactly why Owain was worried. He tossed and turned around in his tent's bed restlessly, sleep being the farthest thing from his mind now. It was the fifth night in a row Inigo had just vanished without any warning.

He sighed heavily as he forced himself to sit up, bringing one had to gently scratch at the back of his head and neck. "_Damnit all! I…I can't sit here like this anymore! What if he's in trouble or something?" _he told himself as he kicked his legs to the ground and stood up. He pulled back the few sheets from himself as his eyes traced the tent's inside, searching for his clothing. "_I can't sleep at night knowing he's out so late; too many things can happen!" _

Owain had just fastened his myrmadon robe on when finally the tent flap was pulled back slightly and in slumped a tired eyed Inigo, stretching his arms with a heavy yawn. "Y-you're still awake, Owain?" he said softly as he sat down at the foot of the bed and kicked of his boots. "I thought you would have gone to bed by now."

"I would have if I had known where you were again, tonight," Owain said passive aggressively, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at Inigo from behind. "You keep going out late; it…it makes me worry," he muttered as he sat back down at the other end of the bed, tapping his kneed repeatedly with his finger while trying to contain himself.

"I keep saying I'm not doing anything that important. Don't you trust me, Owain?" Inigo said sleepily, rubbing one eye and attempting to shake off the shield attached to his arm. Hardly waiting for an answer, the mercenary didn't hesitate of unbutton his tunic, let it fall to the ground beside his boots, and lay down on his back, his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. "I promised you I wouldn't go flirting a long time ago…."

"Th-that's not what I mean!" Owain said, standing back up, staring down at Inigo, his eyes burning with frustration and biting his lip, still trying to hold back. "I just…I can't sleep without you here. I sleep better with you around!" he grumbled, falling his hand into a fist.

Inigo didn't seem to really get was the myrmidon was saying as he turned over on his side with his eyes closed, beginning to unbutton his pants. "Come on, Owain! I was just out having some personal time. I don't see why you can't just trust me. I trust you whenever I'm not around," his voice trailed off to a faint whisper. With a heavy yawn, Inigo reached out a hand and patted the empty space he was expecting Owain to lay. "I'm back now…so let's just go to bed."

Owain groaned, agitated by now Inigo was only brushing this off as unneeded concern but then sighed, knowing that the mercenary was too tired to really understand how angry he was. The myrmidon sighed, letting his anger go for now and sat back down on his side of the bed while taking hold of Inigo's hand in his palm. He could hear Inigo's breathing. It was soft and gentile; warm and comforting. Owain grinned lightly, giving Inigo's hand a small squeeze. "Inigo…you awake still?" he said as he let go and undid the wrap around his robe.

"…yeah..." he croaked.

"I'm…I'm just glad you're safe." Owain, finally back down to his under garnets, lie down next to Inigo and put an arm over him.

Inigo yawned again, sloppily pulling himself closer to Owain and embracing him, his eyes still closed. "Can…can this wait until tomorrow, Owain?" he asked and he struggled to remove his trousers with a single hand.

Owain chuckled softly one last time before cupping Inigo's chin and giving him a small kiss on his forehead. "Sure. Just…don't wander off without me so early, ok?" he teased, closing his eyes for the night.


	2. Why can't you tell me?

Inigo awoke first that following morning with Owain's heavy and sweating body on top of him. It appeared they had changed positions in their sleep again like several previous nights. He breathed heavily, quickly realizing just how hot his body was. Sweat soaked the bed sheets and the mattress. Finally Inigo gasped, removing himself arms from around Owain and shaking him awake, pushing him to the other side of the bed. "It's so HOT!" Inigo said as he pushed the blankets back.

Owain groaned, as he gathered himself together, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes. "Inigo, must you be so loud first thing in the morning?" he muttered tiredly with a heavy yawn, lying back down, and face-up. The swordmaster groaned as he turned onto his side and opened his eyes, staring up at Inigo lazy eyed. "Just once I'd like to sleep in on a day we aren't fighting a battle," he said groggily.

Inigo blinked at Owain, staring back down at him and sighed. "S-sorry. I was just overheating," he said as he kicked his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching. He sighed in relief as he swiped his hand across his forehead, clearing away the sweat built up around his hair lines. "I'm heading out early this morning. Do you want me to get anything while I'm out?"

"Could you get me some sword polisher, actually? I'm running low and I don't want any of my blades to get rusty," he said as he sat back up. "Do you also want to try and get lunch later today? I can meet somewhere in town?"

Inigo had just finished buttoning up his tunic and was slipping on his boots. "Oh um…a-actually I don't think I can," he said nervously. "I uh, gotta go do something right after I finish some errands for mother." Inigo, in a bit of a rush, wanting to get going as soon as he could, began making his way to the tent exit only be stopped suddenly by Owain gripping the mercenary by the wrist.

"Inigo, don't think I haven't forgotten about last night. You said right before you fell asleep we could talk this morning!"

Inigo stared back at Owain, biting his lip, nervous and anxious to be away from him. "L-look, Owain…" he said as he looked away, pulling his arms free, "I know I said I would but…I can't! It's a secret!"

"Well, why can't you tell me?!" Owain barked, standing from the bed. "Stop making promises if you can't keep them!" he said, tightening his grip around Inigo. "Please…please talk to me!"

"It's nothing bad, I promise!" Inigo said, pulled his hand free from Owain. "L-look, I'm sorry….I'm sorry I haven't been very honest with you, Owain but just…you need to trust me! There isn't anything bad going on and if you'd just be patient and wait, maybe you'd realize it!" he snapped, groaning curses under his breath.

"What the heck is that suppose to mean?!" Owain said, taking a step forward. "How can I trust you when you're always running away from me?!"

Inigo was silent for a moment, hesitating before turning back towards the tent's exit flap. "…I keep coming back, don't I?" was the last thing he said before he took off, leaving a frustrated Owain alone in their tent.

…..

Inigo had retreated to the woods again for the day, finding a sense of distraction, almost tranquility. His breathed deeply, trying to find a sense rhythm and harmony. "_I guess I'll have to tell him everything tonight. Any longer and it could spell a lot more than just an argument._" With a heavy sigh, Inigo began to stretch, lying down on the grass floor. "Well…this is the last rehearsal I have! I better make it count!"

…..

Owain tossed and turned on the bed even though he had gotten dress at this point. Last night and that morning kept replaying in his head over and over, trying to find out where it had gone wrong. Was he really over reacting over Inigo's actions? Should he really just let it go and allow Inigo to go about his way? "Maybe…this was all a mistake," he muttered to himself. "Inigo and I are just so different and all we do is fight…." The more Owain thought about it, the more it started to seem like the better option. "Every time we get along we're really just insulting each other and every time I want to be romantic…I never know really what to do with him," he admitted to himself.

In truth, the two characters had really only considered themselves an item for a short while.

Owain groaned as this idea kept circulating around in his head until finally he stood from the bed with a heavy sigh. "_Yeah…maybe…we really are just better off as friends._" The swordmaster remained in silence, letting the idea sink into his conscience. "_I…I should think about this for a while and maybe see what Inigo has to tell me tonight but…" _he choked, even if he was only _thinking_ it. "…_if he tries to get out of talking again then I guess that spells the end this. _"


	3. Lets make a promise!

For one, nightfall came with the speed of Hermes, while for the other it creeped on him like a snail. Owain had been in his tent since dinner ending, constantly moving, changing from sitting on his bed to a chair to the grass and then pacing back and forth, all the while trying figure how to start this conversation he knew he'd be having, how to keep it going and what to say if Inigo refused to talk to him again. He had been thinking for so long now that he hadn't noticed just how nervous he was, biting his nails and fidgeting with his hair.

Inigo on the other hand had hardly made any progress with his plans, and to top it off, it had started raining as he made his way back to camp. Practice made perfect but now it was a matter of second thoughts at the last minute. The mercenary's walk back to Owain's tent was a heavy one, his body sore and his mind in a storm. Was this even the proper time anymore? Would Owain appreciate it and understand it all. Maybe it really would have just been better to explain what he had been doing this whole time, scrap the idea and start over if Owain realized his mistakes.

He could feel the Owain on the other side of the tent flap and judging the by the heavy aura around the place, and Owain knew Inigo was just outside, too. Neither of them were prepared for this., but Inigo also needed to get out of the rain. With a final gulp and a deep breath, he stepped inside to see Owain standing up and starring directly at him, watching him. "Erh…h-hello," he said nervously, frozen right at the entryway, the tent flap closing behind him. his hair was dark and now hanging down in front of his face due to the water absorbed, and his clothes soaked, clinging to his skin now.

"Hi…" Owain had already locked up his thoughts and lost the key. His first thought was how he wanted to give Inigo a moment to change clothes, but he also didn't want to give any opportunity for this to be avoided either. He had no idea where to even begin now but he couldn't just stand there and stare, and leave _all _the talking up to Inigo. The blonde groaned and rubbed the back of his neck before clearing his throat. "Erh, so Inigo would you be so brave to tell me what adventure has brought you here?" he asked, bring volume and flare back into his voice.

"Please drop the character act, Owain," Inigo pleaded softly, seeing right through the other's actions. "Let's just talk like adults…" He stepped further in, sat down on the cot, and just starred at Owain for a moment. Everything he had planned wasn't going to work now. The mood was too heavy. He could feel Owain's sense of unease and distrust, as both of them were fed up with each other and they hadn't even said much yet. With a deep breath, Inigo opened his mouth again.

"Do you think this is a bad idea?" Owain blurted out Inigo could speak. "I mean…what we have…maybe this…wasn't something we should be doing," he finally admitted, bitterly while clenching his fists over his knees where is sat.

"Wh-what?" Inigo asked, caught heavily off guard. "O-Owain, no! Look, I…I know we haven't had a great start but just…listen." Inigo took another breath to try and keep himself calm. He kept telling himself to keep from panicking. With just one wrong thing was said he was sure it'd spell the end it all…before anything had even begun. "Owain…I'm sorry. I guess I should have been honest from the start but now it hardly matters."

"What do you mean 'it hardly matters?' What have you been doing all this time, sneaking off that you couldn't tell me?" Owain snapped. "I've been worried about you; for your safety and because…" his voice trailed off, though he didn't need to finish his sentence. The look on Inigo's face gave away that he understood where it was going.

"I was…trying to prepare something for you, Owain!" Inigo hissed back, feeling his anger becoming harder to contain. "But it doesn't matter now, Owain! If you had just trusted me like I asked then everything would have been fine! Let me guess, you thought I was off in town, flirting at a bar or whatever, weren't you?" Inigo's eyes burned with rage, though his voice remained stern yet collected. He expected this to happen, was certain of what was going on in Owain's head now. How could he not after knowing him for so long? Inigo knew he couldn't blame the other.

The swordmaster leaned up in shock but quickly recovered his nerves as he shook his head. "Maybe I wouldn't think that if you…if you…" his voice trailed off again. In truth that was one of his worries and he knew he couldn't deny it. _Anyone_ would have thought the same thing and Inigo himself was willing to admit it. "Yeah…but that's not everything! I was-"

The dancer didn't even wait for Owain to finish. "You were worried that something bad would have happened to me, yeah you told me last night!" Inigo just stared at the other, growing more agitated by the minute while the other sat in silence. It was out in the open now and as long as he had the upper hand he knew he had to keep going, get every tiny issue out, but he couldn't snap like this anymore. The look on Owain's face said it all. His eyes were wide, in shock, like a puppy's who knew he had done wrong. Inigo was going too far, acting too aggressive. "Owain," he began softly after a deep breath, "I don't blame you for thinking all this but we can't continue like this either. I want you to trust me and if we don't have trust then we shouldn't be in a relationship to begin with."

Owain was silent, surprised to be hearing this from Inigo of all people. "I…" He could barely get a word out, now, too shocked to know where to begin.

"Please…don't just sit there, Owain," he sighed as he crossed his arms and hung his head. "Tell me what you're thinking. Tell me what you're worried about," Inigo's voice grew weak, almost like he was begging.

"I just…I'm sorry," he finally forced out, almost choking as he stood up. "This whole time I've been worried about how this would work and now I don't even know what to call it anymore." The last few words stung as they left his mouth and tasted like regret. "I thought you'd still be running around chasing skirts and I'd just keep having to pull you out of trouble, acting like a hero or something so I…" his voice trailed off until he couldn't bring himself to say anything more, and so he sat back down.

A moment of silence dragged out for what felt like an eon for the both of them until finally Inigo stood up and walked forward. He placed a hand on Owain's shoulder gently and sighed. "No…it's alright. I…I know I can't blame you, Owain," he said softly, peer down at the other. "I know; that's the reputation I've built up and it's what you and anyone else would expect of me. I've caused a lot of trouble, but…if I'm with you then please believe when I say I'm going to be as loyal as I can to you." The dancer hesitated before kneeling down on one knee beside the other.

Owain shook his head before finally looking over to Inigo. His face was solemn, yet disgraced. "I…I suppose I should learn to trust you more, but I also won't stop worrying immediately," he said softly while folding his arms. "What…what do you propose we do about this?"

Inigo just chuckled and grinned. "Owain, we keep trying until we _both _learn to do this properly!" He leaned over and lightly pressed his lips to Owain's forehead, earning a pair of blushing cheeks. His skin tasted of sweat and dirt, yet brought a small sense of ease to him as he placed his hand in Owain's lap before facing him again. "I'll promise to try and be more open and honest with you if you'll promise to try and trust me more. Fair?"

Silence captivated Owain for a moment, but he was smiling back, nonetheless. With a soft sigh, he finally nodded his head. "Very well then, my companion," he said triumphantly, jumping back into character. "Your wager is here by accepted! I shall prove to be the most valiant in my efforts, I assure you!" With that, Owain arose once more, pulling Inigo to his feet with him. "Now, Inigo, prepare yourself for…" he paused, only to pull Inigo into a sudden embrace. One arm went around his waist and up his back, while the other held Inigo by his head. His fingers laced between his hair which was still wet from the rain, and had a fresh scent to it all now. "…affection that transcends words," he whispered into his lover's ear.

Inigo groaned at first, being caught off guard by Owain's sudden actions, but quickly adapted. The attention was well received, putting a wide smile on his face. "I thought you'd never demand that," he joked as he pulled his head back to look into Owain's face. He leaned in quickly and connected their lips without any doubt, now and could feel Owain pressing back. The swordmaster's hands trailed across his back, tugging at Inigo's wet tunic until finally he reached the other's belt.

Owain broke their kiss to catch his breath as he fondled with the other's clothing in a terrible attempt to undress him. "You…must be freezing," he said, concerned. "Just get out of your wet clothes already so you don't get sick!" Finally, he undid Inigo's belt and then quickly moved his hands up to undo the tunic's buttons.

"Oh, are you sure that's what you're aiming for?" Inigo teased as he took hold of Owain's hands and smirked at the other. Owain froze up, blushing. "If I'm getting naked then you're going to have to share your body heat with me," he joked as he placed one hand along the strap on Owian's coat. "I actually am really cold," he admitted, feeling his knees begin to shake. "So, mister hero, I hope you're ready for your biggest challenge yet!"

He blinked, for once not sure how to react with Inigo playing along with him, but he found it to be a pleasant change of pace. Owain let out a might laugh before he began to undress his own coat and with seconds he was down to his loin cloth. "There is not a challenge I will not accept from you, Inigo," he declared before continuing to assist Inigo. "I shall keep you warmer than Elfire this evening!"

Inigo just chuckled as he let his pants drop and then pulled off his gloves and tunic. The dancer pulled Owain back into a hug as he stepped back and fell onto their cot. "Get the blankets," he ordered with a kiss to Owain's cheek. He watched ad the swormaster got up to quickly pull the sheets over them both, trapping all their heat. Inigo's icy fingers then teased the other as the brushed across Owain's skin, caressing his sides and toying with him as he cupped his bum with the other climbing on top of him.

"Oh, claiming the treasures of the world, are you?" Owain hissed into Inigo's ear with a grin.

"I'll claim whatever I want from you, Owain," he teased back before kissing the other's cheek again.

"HA! Well then, perhaps it's time I give you what you asked for!"

After that, there were no words; only passion.

* * *

His lover's skin was cool, yet smooth from the hydration the rain had granted him, and his body quickly warming back up under the cover of their shared cot. Owain watch Inigo resting beside him, already asleep. Could feel the other's soft breath on his face, and feel his nose lightly poking at his own with smile across Inigo's face. He was at peace, without a shadow of a doubt in Owain's mind. As he began to shut his own eyes, feeling sleep take hold him, Owain leaned in one last time and claimed the other's lips. "I promise, Inigo, we're going to make this work," he whispered.


End file.
